Bad news with a twist

It must be a Monday! Why is it for some reason that Monday seems to be a hard day for most people?

Well today was a difficult day at work due to the conflicting and competing priorities and trying to be productive in the midst of what seemed like chaos.

Just a few minutes ago, I received another rejection email from a church that I had recently sent my resume to. This church had the unenviable task of going through over 300 resumes in order to narrow the field of potential candidates for the office of Senior Pastor. This email was much different. The last three paragraphs were done, in my opinion, with the intent of attempting to minister grace in an unpleasant situation.

Here is the quotation that I wanted to share because it was done well:

Please do not take this as a rejection of you or your qualifications, but as from the Lord. We’ve had the blessing of having a significant number of qualified people like yourself, and have had to gradually reduce the number with whom we remain in contact with. We’ve sought to do this carefully and prayerfully, knowing that many like you could be well-qualified for this ministry. Since we can only call one person, many good people will necessarily be removed from further consideration in our ongoing process.

Like you, we seek the Lord’s guidance in all of this, knowing that He is able and He is sovereign. How fortunate we are to have so many choice servants of the Lord to consider.

This may be disappointing for you as it is for us to have to notify you in this way, but we’d encourage you to move on with the Lord, seeking His direction, always knowing that He has promised to lead us in every step of the way and never to leave us or forsake us.

Wow, what else can be said after receiving an email like that?! All I can say, “Praise the Lord and thanks for ministering grace to me in bad news!”

My hope is that churches and pulpit committees would learn from what I just read. I just received a reply from the sender stating that “some have replied with a little “snip” in their reply. It is unfortunate that some brethren have not learned to minister grace as well. It is easy to be upset and become hardened and embittered because of continual rejection.